Jobs.CoolerThanThou.net - Working In Japan or China

Cloned Dogs Working in Korea

When I first saw the headline about cloned dogs in Korea, I wasn't entirely sure that I wanted to read the rest of the article. But it turned out to be not so bad after all. Unless you are morally opposed to cloning, that is.

Korea Customs officials have cloned one of their best performing drug-sniffing dogs (a golden retriever) so as to make an entire batch of new super-sniffing drug dogs. This is pretty crazy, but at the same time very exciting. The fact that they can breed dogs now so that they possess the best genes for a certain task is incredibly amazing, and you have to wonder how far off it is until someone tries to do the same with humans.

For now though, you have to admit that these cloned retrievers are really interesting. It does spark that old ethics debate though, and that's certainly something we have to look at as well. What do you think about all this? Is it ok to clones animals in order to make them do certain tasks better?

I'd curious to hear what you have to say.

Related:
Most popular dog breeds in Korea
Don't let South Korea classify dogs as livestock!
My Bilingual Dog

Ski Resort Jobs in Japan

You might be surprised to hear that there are quite a few ski-resort jobs available in Japan. Of course these are limited to the winter season, but it's not uncommon to see resorts advertising for staff or ski/snowboarding instructors.

Now, many would see this kind of thing as a dream job, and indeed in many ways it is. But if you plan to pursue something like this in Japan, be sure to do your research first. Here is one first hand account from a guy who worked at a ski resort. This interview looks to be a low budget promotional information video for a company, but nevertheless, there is some quality information in it (even if the room does look like it was built for interrogation).

Anyway, check out the video if a ski job in Japan strikes your fancy. SnowJapan is an excellent resource as well, and you would be wise to start some discussion in their chat forums.

If you're not sold on the idea, maybe you will be after you watch these Japanese schoolgirls on snowboards!

More Japan Skiing Resources:
We Love Snow
Snowave
Ski Japan
Japan Specialists

Niseko Ski Tours

On Working Overtime in Japan: Is Virtualization the Solution?

Michael Downey of the aptly named MichaelDowney.com blog has a deep and thoughtful post about how he, as a foreigner, struggles with the Japanese expectation of working long overtime hours. It's an interesting dilemma to be sure. There appears to be no easy way to find a balance between your personal life and work if companies just don't allow you to do so. Here's and excerpt of what Michael has to say:

[I]t can certainly be seen above that the majority of Japanese people seem to also want rid of the heavy amounts of overtime, but see it as a ‘necessary evil’, in some sense. It’s also true that there have been governmental efforts made into bringing a more stable Work-Life Balance to Japan. But is it really changing anything, and if so, will it change enough in my lifetime? It is really, in reality, possible for a newly graduated foreigner to go to Japan and work a respectable 9-5 job at a decent company? Or am I doomed to submit to the system if I wish to work in Japan?

For me, this discussion brings to mind France's experiment with a four-day work week and how it cuts down on energy and transportation costs. Usually a leader in innovative ideas, is a four-day work week just too far out there for Japan to consider? I mean boob-grabbing machines and helicopter bottle openers are no problem, but a four-hour work week? No, that's just crazy talk!

Even if a four-hour work week is out of the question, can't technology help us solve this problem. I mean, remote access computer has advanced far enough so that we can easily use programs like Go to my PC to access your work computer from home.

A more realistic solution would be virtualization. Employees would be given their own laptop upon entering a company, which they could bring home and use as their personal computer as well. Their work operating system could be a virtual machine, and thus kept separate from the main OS. It would make sense if employees were given more freedom to bring their work home with them.

While many actually prefer the to work in the office, anyone who has kids at home would certainly appreciate such an option. Lots of companies already allow this kind of thing, but enforce numerous restrictions as to what exactly you can do on this company computer. For example, no World of Warcraft or Counterstrike allowed. Bummer...

But 2009 might be the year where we see more companies taking advantage of virtualization to this end. In fact, some departments at Microsoft has put this into practice. Give your employee a free personal computer, and let them install whatever they want on it. But the virtual machine is reserved for exclusively for work. A free computer would certainly be a attractive incentive to potential employees. And in these trying times, it would certainly give companies a leg up in the talent wars.

Japan Subway Pushers

Check out this job. In Japan, during peak times on the subway or trains, you may find these guys coming up behind you to give you a little extra nudge to make sure you board the train. Nevermind that you might be packed tighter than a sardine. If that's to much for you don't get in line in the first place.

You have to wonder about how the job interview goes for a position like this.

"So do you have any shoving experience?"

"Yes, I shoved many classmates when I was back in middle school, because they were always trying to steal my lunch. It was terrible."

"But you're a good shover, yes? When can you start?"

Japanese Elevator Floor Lady

Talk about a stressful job, this Japanese woman has to usher people into an elevator by announcing what floors it will be stopping at - and each time she does it with such enthusiasm!